Back on the Mothership...

Despite his attempts to free himself, Midas is tossed back into his cell.

"Ugh. You creeps can't keep me in here forever!"

He hugs his arms, the scars from their 'tests' hurting a lot. His clothing had gained more wear and tears and become slightly more dirty. His body ached from being stuck in the same cramped space for so long. But he was somewhat glad to be in a safe space with Dark Jonesy for company.

"I'm just glad to be in a safe space again."

Dark Jonesy flinches, rubbing his head slightly. Midas worries a little, going over to him.

"Are you alright?"

He slides down the wall to the ground, still holding his head with one hand, and Midas joins him seeing he didn't have anything else to do.

"I see. What did you manage to find?"

Dark Jonesy closes his eyes and focuses on his vision. Opening them again, they turn a gleaming white.

"Why his snapshots?"

Midas hums deeply upon hearing that. That's something he didn't want to hear.

"That bastard. What did he tell Jones that was so bad it crushed his feelings?!"

Midas slams his fist out of rage. This imposter was stealing his life, killing off innocent people and ruining his reputation! Plus, it was destroying his chance to be with Jones.

"That's where I was captured. Where I left that note. If they find that, Jones will finally be able to come find me!"

Dark Jonesy's eyes turn from white to purple as he grips onto his chest. Midas immediately becomes alarmed and goes to help.

He breathes heavily, a hand on his head and over his chest.

"Dark?"

He mutters, the voices in his mind growing louder.

"Can you hear me?"

Dark Jonesy punches Midas away as he suddenly looses control over himself and his unstable dark powers. His eyes were a crimson purple with a black substance leaking out of them.

"This isn't good. I'm not sure if I can get out of this without hurting him..."

Dark Jonesy stretches out a hand, lifting Midas up into the air and chucking him into the wall. He grunts, holding his side as he gets up and confronts the corrupted snapshot.

"Dark listen. I don't wish to bring you harm. Please come back to your senses. Let me help you-"

He doesn't listen or even hear Midas as he forms some kind of purple lighting attack with his hands and throws it at him. He barely has time to dodge out of the way before he fires more.

Dark Jonesy leaps towards him. However, Midas is faster and blocks his attack. He tries holding back his clenched fists and attempts trying to get through to him again.

"Please. I know this corruption is messing with your mind. Don't let it control you. You're stronger than it."

Dark Jonesy's eyes widen a little as Midas hits him with that sentence. He retracts his fists and picks Midas up again, only this time moving him away and putting him down a little more softly. He collapses onto his hands and knees, coughing up the same black substance that was leaking out his eyes.

*cough*

*cough*

He wipes his face free of the substance as his eyes return to normal. Midas walks over to him and kneels down next to him.

"You alright now?"

Both stand up and sit on the nearby mattress.

"That's alright. I'm glad I could bring you back to your senses without using violence."

-------------

On the island...

"Are we there yet? A Looper like me can only walk barefoot for so long." Bunker Jonesy complains.

"Dude we've only been walking ten minutes. Quit moping."

Bunker Jonesy sighs, hugging his arms as he follows Jones through the grassy plains. He turns to the snapshot and apologizes.

"Sorry if that came out the wrong way. I've been having a rough few weeks." Jones sighs. "I.O's after my ass, Midas is missing and... well you already know about the situation with my other snapshots."

Both of them continue to walk in silence. From where they were now the castle wasn't that far away, but Jones couldn't help but notice another rift butterfly perching on a nearby flower.

"Hey, if it'll make you feel better we can use this lil guy to get there faster." He offers, holding a finger out for the butterfly to sit on.

He turns back to the snapshot with a smile, while he continues to hug his arms but likes the idea of using the butterfly to save time.

In a flash of light, they were standing outside the castle. Jones rushes inside, the butterfly perched on his shoulder and Bunker Jonesy trailing behind.

"Why was Midas even here in the first place?" Bunker Jonesy questions, looking under a few nearby stones.

"I don't know. But I think it's something to do with that sceptre over in that rock." Jones answers, looking over at it. "I have some knowledge of Midas' connection to Oro. How that sceptre used to be his. I'm guessing it belongs to Midas now."

"So he came here to claim it...but got himself captured before he could take it out of the rock."

"Exactly."

The two men continue to look for a clue of some kind left behind by Midas. Bunker Jonesy notices a piece of paper hidden under a heavy looking stone.

"Hey. I think I found something."

Jones stops what he's doing and quickly comes over. And using what strength he had, moves the stone so Bunker Jonesy could grab the note and pass it to him.

"Nice find man."

Opening it up he finds some rushed scribbled writing, but its relatively neat enough to make out what Midas was trying to write;

"THE OTHER ONE IS A FAKE. DON'T TRUST IT."

"FIND JOEY. THEY KNOW WHERE I AM. THEY'RE NOT HUMAN. THEY'RE AN ALIEN."

"THEY'RE AN UNDERCOVER ALIEN DISGUISED AS A HUMAN. THEY WORK WITH DOCTOR SLONE."

"SHE HAD NO INVOLVEMENT IN THIS-"

The text ends there on that side.

"I knew it. Midas WAS abducted. For the past few weeks he's been stuck up there and we were all tricked by that imposter!" Jones yells.

"C'mon. We gotta get back to Jules and Marigold and-"

He gasps as he turns around.

In the moments that had passed, they must've been followed by the imposter. Because when Jones turned around, he found Bunker Jonesy encased in gold!!

"No!"

'Midas' comes out from the shadows, a sinister grin on his face. The aliens disguise was falling apart as it was, but it didn't see to care.

"So, you finally figured it out."

"Oh please. It was plainly obvious! For starters, Midas never refers to me as John. And he wouldn't treat me the way you did a few hours ago!"

"And yet you still went along with this little song and dance."

Jones groans in annoyance, kicking the imposter in the chest and sending him back. He then grabs onto the statue and turns to his little rift butterfly.

"Can you take me to Pleasant Park lil guy?"

Sparks begin to fly off it as it focuses on teleporting Jones to where he wants to go. 'Midas' quickly gets up as they teleport away, getting caught in it as well.

-------

Landing outside the house, Jones notices Jules outside the garage and runs over.

"Jules!! I know the truth!"

"What?"

"Midas WAS abducted! That other one was the imposter killing everyone."

"I should've guessed."

"We gotta tell Marigold too!"

"I tried calling her when I went to get Skye and Tina's statues. She never picked up."

"Do you think Slone figured out she knew us?"

Jules shrugs. Both look up as 'Midas' approaches them. Taking out an alien weapon he fires it at them, separating and leaving both vulnerable.

The imposter turns to Jones and stretches out his hand, ready to put it on his head and end his life. He covers his face with his arms, shivering in fear.

"No no no no, please!! Midas!!" He calls out.

He stands there, waiting for his impending doom...

But...

It doesn't come...

Jones uncovers his face. His eyes glitter with tears and his heart drops when he sees what's infront of him;

Despite how broken their friendship was...

stepped in and took the hit, while also stabbing the imposter through the heart with a pocket knife.

"...no... Jules?"

As the alien falls and begins bleeding out Jules drops the knife and turns to Jones, falling on her knees.

"Ha...too slow to avoid getting turned to gold." She chuckles, her laugh sounding broken. "It's fine. I kinda deserved it really."

"No you didn't! I... I'll save you! I'll find a way..." Jones tells her, tears brimming in his eyes.

Tears fall down Jules' face as she gives Jones a sad smile.

"C'mon Jones you know there's no way to reverse Midas' golden touch."

Jules pats his shoulder gently.

"Listen to me. As hard as it is for me to say this, you're Midas' last chance at escaping that place." She explains. "Me, Skye, Tina and probably Marigold too are out of commission.

His fate is up to you now."

"No... please! Don't leave me all alone!"

"I'm sorry Jones. And I'm sorry for how I treated you. I was wrong. You are a good man with a lot of kindness in your heart."

The gold continues to spread all over Jules' body to the point where her face is the only thing left uncovered.

"You'll have to do... this rescue mission... alone..."

"Please don't go..."

"Goodbye... Jones... and good...luck."

With her final goodbye given Jules turns completely gold as rain begins to come down onto the island. And in that moment, Jones realised the horrible truth;

"I let this happen...I let them die... This is all my fault..."

*sniff*

"I'm sorry Midas... I'm sorry I failed you... all of you..."

Covering his face in shame he begins to cry, letting his grief and sorrow escape. Only one thought was going through his mind at that moment;

Everyone he had ever loved and cared about were gone... and now, he was all alone...